Page 4 of When We Burn

“Oh, Daddy!”

“Daddy!”

Oh, fuck.

I turn onto my side to hide my morning wood, courtesy of that sexy-as-fuck dream about a woman I’ve wanted for-fucking-ever, but a woman that I’ll never have.

“Good morning, peanut.”

Birdie, my five-year-old, giggles behind me. “You have to wake up, Daddy. We have to go shopping.”

I reach over to tap my phone and scowl. “It’s only eight, baby. The stores don’t open for a while yet.”

“You need breakfast.”

I grin. That’s code forI want breakfast.

“You’re right. We need to eat. How about if I take a quick shower and then get started on the French toast, okay?”

She leans over so she can look at my face and pats my cheek. Now that my nether regions have calmed down a bit, I roll to her and pull her in for a big hug.

“On second thought, never mind. We’re not going shopping. You’re not big enough to go to school. You’re just a baby.”

I bury my face in her neck and blow raspberries, making her giggle. She smells like her baby shampoo, and she’s so sweet and small in her cuteTanglednightgown.

“I’m five.” More giggles as I continue to kiss her cheeks. “I’m a big girl.”

“No way. You’re my baby.” I hug her tight, and she wraps her little arm around my neck and hugs me back. “My tiny peanut.”

She wasso smallwhen she was born. So little and sweet. But never fragile. Not my girl. Even with the medical challenges we’ve had over the past year, she’s never been weak.

“I love you, Daddy.”

I grin sleepily at her and kiss her cheek. “I love you, too, baby bird. Do youreallyhave to grow up and go to school?”

“Yep. And I need clothes and shoes and notebooks. There’s a list.”

“Ah, yes, the list.” I bop her on the nose. “You go get dressed and watch something on your tablet for a little while, okay? I’ll get ready, too. We won’t forget your list.”

“Okay.” She launches herself off my bed and runs for her bedroom, just down the hall from mine.

I sigh and drag my hands down my face. I came off a three-day stretch last night, and when I got home, Dani was outside, wearing fuck-me short shorts and looking like a walking wet dream. No wonder I dreamed about fucking her.

The woman is gorgeous, with all that dark hair and blue eyes, and don’t even get me started on her curves. Breasts and hips that would fit perfectly in my hands.

And there goes my dick again.

With a sigh, I get out of bed and pad into my attached bathroom, resigned to fucking my hand to get rid of this hard-on that only seems to happen when I see my sexy neighbor. Or eventhinkabout her.

I’ve known Dani Lexington since we were little kids. She’s a few years younger than I am, and she and her siblings were staples at our ranch growing up. Her brother, Holden, the eldest of the siblings, is one of my best friends. I know that they had a rough childhood that fucked with all five of them. What they went through…well, their father should have been in prison. He was fucked up.

I’m sure that if I talked with Holden and told him that I wanted to date his sister, he’d be pretty cool about it. After he punched me, just for good measure.

I’d expect nothing less.

But Dani and I have been good friends through a lot of shit in her childhood. Then, when she became a teenager, I noticed that I didn’t actually havebrotherlyfeelings toward her, but I was eighteen, and she was a minor.

No way I was going to dick around with that. Literally.

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